Deadline Portland
by KlynneL
Summary: Jason begins his new life. But life never goes the way we want it to.


**A/N Okay, so here it is. This was written for the May Ficgrab at . It is a loose companion story for Voltage. **

Deadline Portland

The young man walked into the bullpen carrying two large and ancient suitcases. It had been a while since he had been in the city, and the noise was almost overwhelming. Pulling in his ultra-sensitive hearing and focusing it as his father had taught him was going to be a challenge for a few days, but a welcome challenge. He had been alone for far too long: alone with the droning voices of a long dead people, with nothing but an occasional journey to far off lands to break the monotony of his training. His father finally released him to begin his life, to start to write his own story.

It was quite different from the bullpen he had practically grown up in. This bullpen was smaller, the desks uncluttered by the litter of papers, contact books and photos. Laptops, cell phones and eReaders replaced notepads, phone books and dictionaries. The staff was younger, the editor more vibrant with almost as colorful a past as Jason's parents. It was different, but still comfortingly familiar.

Jason stood in the doorway for a brief moment, taking in the organized chaos of a newsroom at deadline. Reporters chatted on phones while typing on keyboards, photographers downloading images, prepping them for press, assistants grabbing pages off printers and running them to editorial.

"Hey! You're blocking the door," a man pushed through the doorway that Jason's bulk had blocked.

"Excuse, me," Jason replied as he pushed his glasses up his nose. "Could you tell me where Mr. White's office is?" If he was going to live as Clark Kent's son, he was going to have to act like Clark Kent's son.

"It's down that hall," the man who bumped into Jason replied. "I'd be careful if I were you, he's in quite the mood. He's expecting some important big shot reporter's kid, and he's been a wreck. I haven't seen him like this since his kid graduated from college. I didn't even know he had a kid before that. Never pegged him for a deadbeat dad."

Jason smiled a big Kent smile, "I guess I'm that big shot reporter's kid. And he wasn't a deadbeat. Hi, I'm Jason Kent. Richard's my step-dad."

With that said, Jason took his two large bags and walked directly towards the sound of his step-dad's voice, looking over his shoulder to see a very stunned reporter glaring at him. This was going to be an interesting place to work.

Jason entered Richard's office and noticed the sharp contrast with his old office in Metropolis. Gone were the family portraits and crayon drawings. Instead of a shelf of puzzles and toys for a chronically bored child there were books on writing and flying. An unauthorized biography of Superman was tucked in a corner, an obvious joke from a co-worker who was aware of Richard's past life.

"Jason," Richard said as he stood behind his big cherrywood desk reaching out to shake Jason's hand. "I hope you had an uneventful flight out," He winked.

"Hit a little turbulence over Kansas, nothing serious."

"I'm sure," Richard responded.

Just then a stunningly beautiful young woman entered the room, "Chief, several twisters touched down in Northern Kansas about twenty minutes ago. Fortunately there were no injuries. They were dissipated before Superman could get there!"

Richard looked over at Jason, "Imagine that."

Jason gave a shrug so slight that one would miss it if they weren't looking for it.

"Jason, I'd like you to meet Jenna Blackwood, Jenna – Jason –"

"What are you doing here?" Jenna crossed her arms, pursing her lips. If she could shoot fire out her eyes she would, and Jason would have been charcoal.

"Jason is going to be your partner, Jenna."

"Hell no! I'm not a damn Jedi that I need an apprentice."

"Jenna, I said partner. Jason probably has more experience in a newsroom than you could even dream of. That said, you get into more trouble than Lois Lane. The two of you could be the next –."

Jason sent Richard a warning glare. "You're as bad as the old man back in Metropolis, you know that? Always looking for the next great team."

"That's what made Perry so great, and his teams even greater."

"But Jason is a flake," Jenna continued with her objections.

"That was college. I'm sure that Jason has figured a few things out by now." Jason noticed his dad's hopeful look.

"Yeah, first being, _**I'm not my**_ _**father**_. Look Richard, I appreciate you trying to pair me up with Jenna," he looked over at Jenna, a pained look in his eyes, "But I think it would be best for both of us if you didn't try to team us up. I'm sure Jenna likes doing things her way, and I still need to figure out what my way is."

"So, no great reporting team?"

"Not today, but someday, maybe." Jason answered wistfully.

"Fine. Jenna I want you to get me a report on the twisters in Kansas, what caused them to dissipate so quickly. Jason there's been an up-tick in seismic activity around Mount Hood, I want you to get in touch with someone at the USGS and find out what's going on. If she's getting ready to blow I want the scoop."

Jason turned to leave, bags still in hand, "Just leave those in here, you can take them to the house tonight. Can't have the Kent klutz gene destroying my newsroom," Richard laughed.

Jason put his bags in a corner of his dad's office and walked out, looking around for his new desk. Jenna stayed behind for a moment.

"So, He's staying with you?" Jenna asked. _Of course he'd be staying at his dad's place until he found an apartment. Where else would he stay? With you?_

"I promised his mom I'd keep an eye on him." Sadness colored Richard face. Jenna wondered if he had ever gotten over Jason's mom.

"Ah, the infamous Lois Lane. Don't want to ever make her angry."

"I'll always be his dad. And Lois isn't that difficult to piss-off, they don't call her mad-dog for nothing."

"So where's Jason been all these years? Do you even know?"

"He's been up north." Richard answered cryptically.

"He's always been a bit of a space cadet." Jenna snipped as she walked out of Richard's office.

Jason found an empty desk with a desk plate labeled "Jason Kent." He noted that it was near a window; one that wasn't sealed shut and overlooked an alley. His cubicle was secluded enough that nobody would notice if a super-powered someone slipped out said window if necessary. Jason shook his head an ironic smile plastering lips. His father understood that he didn't want to follow in his footprints. It was too bad that his dad didn't give him the same benefit.

"You know, Jason, you are here for a reason. You have these amazing powers for a reason: and it isn't so that you can do extreme rock-climbing, cliff diving, or riding class five rapids." Jason jumped at the sound of his dad's voice. Richard still knew the trick of sneaking up on him, no matter how good his hearing was.

"You never give up, do you, Dad?"

"_He's_ not going to push you, so somebody has to."

"_He's_ not going to push me because _he_ knows what it means to be different, what wanting a normal life means. He'll never have a normal life, he wants me to have a chance at one."

"That's why you were up north for so long? Why you left?"

"I was up north for so long because I had a lot to learn, about him, about me, about my powers. I grew up with them, they were part of me, but I didn't know how they worked and it was too easy to lose control of them. I want to be in control of my powers, of my destiny. I don't care what some long dead voice says about destiny, I'm in control of mine."

"Nobody is in control of their destiny, Jason. Look around you, where did you end up? In a newsroom, just like your parents."

"It's all I know, Richard," Jason became more serious. "It's as much your fault I'm here as it is theirs. I grew up in the bullpen, for me there is no other choice. But that doesn't make it destiny. Can we continue this discussion at home, dad? People are starting to stare." Jason pulled a laptop from its bag and plugged it into the 27-inch monitor on his desk.

"Nice job on the twisters, by the way." Richard whispered as he walked away. A shake to his head and slight curve to his lips the only acknowledgement that Jason heard him.

Jason spent the rest of the day contacting various geologists, volcanologists, seismologists and just about any other -ologist available at the USGS to get the story on what was happening under Mount Hood. The more information the collected the more uneasy he felt about the lack of knowledge people had about the inner workings of their world. How little research was really conducted on the study of the Earth, and its core. More was know about the mating habits of monkeys than the inner working of the Earth. But this was a story, and he was just a reporter. There was nothing more he could do – _right_.

"So, how's your first day?" Jenna asked as they walked out the door into the humid outdoors. She didn't really want to know the answer, but she felt she needed to say something to her former love.

"Fine, how was your day?"

"Okay. I can't find out much about those twisters in Kansas that mysteriously dissipated this morning. Say, you wouldn't know anything about it would you?"

"Why would I know anything about tornado's in Kansas?"

Jenna stopped in Jason's path, crossing her arms in front of her, taking a stance she had seen Jason's infamous mom take on the few occasions she saw her. She knew instinctively how Jason would interpret the pose. She raised her eyebrow to add to the effect.

"I'm not _him_. Jenna. And you're not my mom. Now knock it off." Jason's irritation was starting to show. Maybe it was a bad idea coming here. Maybe he should have picked some other city. But down in his heart, he knew that this is where he needed to be.

"So you're telling me that you had nothing to do with the twisters near Smallville, Kansas. Twisters that were dangerously close to the Kent farm, where all the happy childhood memories of one Jason Kent are securely stored?"

"My father has more memories there than I do. Maybe he didn't want anyone to know that he was the one who broke up the twisters. It wouldn't be safe if it got out that Superman has a link to Smallville, you know. Someone would figure it out if he makes too many saves there, if it looks like he's protecting something, or someone."

"That makes sense," Jenna hesitantly agreed. They were back to the old argument. For some reason Jason was very hesitant to use his powers openly. Perhaps it was because he had to live hidden for so many years, she never really understood. If she could do the wonderful things he could do, she would do so much more than just write news stories about drug-traffickers or crooked politicians. She started walking down the busy one-way street towards her favorite deli, stopping briefly to look in the window of the corner flower shop.

Walking side by side the pair fell into a comfortable pace. Occasionally Jenna would glance over at Jason and notice that he still looked as handsome as ever. She noticed that his shoulders had become broader, and posture more confident. His eyes glinted a blue-gray through the thick lenses she knew were more of a prop than a necessity. She promised herself right then and there that she wouldn't make the same mistakes that drove Jason away the first time. If he wanted to hide from himself, then she would stand by as quietly as possible and not call out "Ale ale ox in" no matter how badly she felt that he could make a difference.

"I'm sorry I was gone for so long, Jenna." Jason reached for her hand and unconsciously rubbed the platinum ring on her finger.

Just then a siren screaming nearby pulled their attention away from each other.

"What is it, Jason?" Jenna looked as Jason stood with a frightened look on his face.

Jason had not wanted to listen, to hear what was being said over the airwaves. He wanted it to be something little, something other's could handle, not this. Less than an hour from the city a large volcano, long dormant was beginning to wake. What had been missed was another younger sibling just off the coast: one that lay at the ocean floor, methane crystals building a large dome above its single vent. Scientists ignored the signs of its arousal, not noticing the slight up-tick in seismic activity in its vicinity. Jason heard it all, and he knew that he had to do something or the methane gas that hovered over the vent would annihilate every living creature within the region when it finally explodes.

Jason opened his hearing more looking for his father, then realizing the time; his little sister's final recital. There was no way he was going to let dad miss this if at all possible.

"Jenna, you need to go back to the paper. Tell Richard to get out of here, get as many people away as you can." Jason was starting to panic.

"What's going on, Jason?" She knew the look on his face. It was one she had hoped never to see, one of resignation.

"The story Richard assigned to me this morning, the seismic activity under Mount Hood. It isn't Mount Hood. There's a vent off the coast –"

"I've heard about it. It has a build-up of methane crystals covering it. Biologists like to study the strange life-forms around it."

"There is a huge amount of pressure building under it. It's getting ready to blow."

"My God, Jason! If it goes, all that methane will be released into the atmosphere. How soon? Can your father do anything?"

"We have a couple hours before it reaches critical mass. Dad is at Lara's recital. I don't want him to miss it if I can help. I don't want her to be angry because he's not there for her."

"She'll understand."

"No she won't. She'll blame me, because I could have done something, but I didn't. I have to do this on my own." Jason wrapped his arms around Jenna, taking comfort from her presence.

"What will I tell Richard, what should we say to the others? Who should I say warned us?"

"You'll tell them I'm my father's son." He replied as he gently landed on a fire escape attached to the side of the newspaper building. Jenna's gasp told him that she didn't even realize that they had been flying, that she didn't see the blur as he changed into a modern version of his father's iconic suit, less the cape and red shorts. The coloring made to blend in more with the gray gloom of the Pacific Northwest skies than the vibrant blue of his father's would have.

"Tell them that the Son of Kal El of Krypton has an urgent warning, that the city is in danger." Jason turned to fly off, pausing looked back to Jenna.

"Jenna, I love you. I never stopped." He grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes.

"Now, go tell Richard to get on the phone with whoever he needs to and get this city evacuated. I'm going to do what I can to disperse the methane, but after all I'm not Superman, I do have my limits."

"Are you sure you want to do this? Why now? You never wanted to be a hero before."

"I saw a picture on your desk: a little boy whose daddy ran away, who didn't want the responsibility, who wanted to be free from ties. Then I walked into the office of the man I grew up calling daddy because my father took on the responsibilities of the world. He's sitting alone in his office, while his only daughter prepares to play her final piano performance and the man she grew up calling daddy sits in the audience. All she wanted was to play for one of her fathers, so I'm letting her."

"Can't you fly Richard to Metropolis so that he can watch her play?"

Jason stood quietly looking at the ring he placed on her hand their senior year in college, the one whose match was now safely hidden away until he was ready to accept the commitment and, the responsibility it represented; one he was now ready to accept.

"I need him here. We need him to get the evacuation going Jenna. Then he needs to fly you and Jon out of here. I need him to keep my family safe, _my son_ safe, while I make _our_ home safe. It time for me to become a man, and I need my dad to help.

"When we're done, you'll have the scoop of the century, the unveiling of Superman's son," Jason gave her a brief kiss before rocketing towards to coast, and his first public appearance.

In a performing arts center across the country, a middle-aged man in a slightly rumpled suit sat with his wife. All afternoon he had been more fidgety than normal, almost as if he would fly off at any moment. A smile crept to his lips, his eyes filling with tears, his anxious face relaxing. He turned to his wife, "Lois, I think our son has finally grown up." Clark looked to the stage as his daughter approached the piano and announced her chosen pieces. He would continue monitoring to his son's current crisis, but Clark knew that Jason had it well in hand for the moment.


End file.
